26 August 2011

I've Been Busy

I've been busy.

Not writing posts, as my husband has requested. Yes; after a few days, he actually asks when I'm going to post again. And my mother-in-law warns me that my followers aren't following, because there isn't anything new to read.

But you know, I've been busy. In an actual productive way. I've been doing floor moves. This means the entire house is in flux. It's our version of the butterfly effect. If the contents of one room travel, everything else shifts, too.

My mother is going to stay with us for the month of October because Pappou is travelling for business. Then he'll join us in November, and they will stay through Thanksgiving. Yay! So, even though my house is like a uterus, and will stretch to accomodate new occupants, this news triggered a cavalcade of activity.

This week, I finished moving Two downstairs to the guest room. I organized Three's new solo room, but both he and One will also relocate to the lower level, soon to be known as The Dorm, so that Mom and Pappou can have a main floor bedroom, and a den/office/place to hide.

I emptied the garage a bit more, in preparation for its partial transformation into a Guy Cave. The Captain still isn't entirely convinced, but I'm working on it.

I weeded through tons of clothes and boy toys (not that kind- I wish!) to donate to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It's my form of tithing. I don't go to church often enough to feel like I'm making a contribution, so I give a lot of stuff away to charity.

I cleaned the whole house. Okay, I didn't actually clean it, but I picked up all the mess so that my lovely friend, Elsa, could vacuum and scrub it. Elsa used to come and clean every two weeks, but then the economy fell apart, and I thought she was a frivolous expense. The Captain has missed her desperately. I felt bad about letting her go, so I asked her to keep coming every two weeks to clean the bathrooms. I have a low tolerance for pee-soaked areas.

My mother, perhaps suddenly aware of the slovenly conditions of the home she would be sharing, generously offered to hire Elsa to do the whole shebang. I don't think Mom was aware of the floor moves. So, for the past two days, I've worked feverishly to straighten, organize, and otherwise uncover the house, so Elsa could clean it. And now, it looks and smells great!

Too bad we will be tracking wet paws and feet across the floors, courtesy of Hurricane Irene. I'm in the midst of stowing outdoor furniture, and loading new lanterns with the last of the "D" batteries. We'll ride it out here, with Mom and Pappou. If Mom's apartment building loses power, she's stranded on the fifth floor, because the elevators won't work. So, they're joining our hurricane party. I foresee lots of Rummikub by candlelight.

And finally, in addition to all that home-based activity, I WROTE. I passed 86,000 words this week. The Captain asked me what I thought my final count would be, and then informed me I am 86% done. Of course, that number is before endless revisions, but nonetheless, it felt great.

So, I've been busy. In a good way. But not so busy that I won't be thinking of all my friends and family in harm's way. Be careful out there, people.

8 comments:

Wow! You have been busy girl! Congrats on the 86000 words and cleaning the garage (I'd rather write the words...i've seen my garage and it ain't pretty). We missed you but of course we are still following.

Another New Jerseyite hunkering down. Water, check, batteries, check, what the hell have the kids done with all the flashlights? check, gas for the generator, check, non-perishable food, check, mucho ice in the chest freezer, check. What have I left out?

I'm really impressed with all your cleaning. Would you like to come over and help me out? 'Cause I truly suck at the cleaning out job.

I wish we had a super-zippy transport mode that would fling us (and Elsa) to whoever was in need. Because I hate the cleaning part, but I LOVE the sorting and purging. I would happily travel to purge and do projects, but alas, I barely have time to do my own.

However, if ever you need an all-in-one fixer, my sister Erin is the real deal. She sorts, organizes, and manages projects in a properly feng-shui way. Sometimes, she even helps from her remote location on-line! Oh, to have Erin's mad skillz...

I am physically exhausted, but mentally energized from all the activity. I may go write a bit more.

so check in and let us know how you survived Irene. My DC friend is fine but still without power, and my in-laws' house on the intercoastal waterway in NC is fine(though their neighbor's dock ended up in their yard).

We also have an Elsa-- her name is Darlene. She comes for a half-day every other week so that we can stay married. Seriously, we have had someone do this since we finally finished grad school and both got jobs and our combined income was $31K. It is well worth the expense. She does the floors and the bathrooms, and I love her. But probably not as much as DH does.